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Riverbed software update boosts performance monitoring

A Riverbed software update blends SteelCentral; Gigamon intros a security appliance; Check Point warns of 2017 ransomware threats.

Riverbed Technology announced updates to its SteelCentral network monitoring platform that blends infrastructure, end-user experience, application and network performance management into a single package.

SteelCentral 11, available later this year, is aimed at the new realities of enterprise networking, which span BYOD, the rapidly multiplying numbers of devices in the enterprise and unified communications, according to Erik Hille, director of product marketing at San Francisco-based Riverbed.

The upgrade focuses on the idea that application performance now drives business performance. In an annual Riverbed survey about app performance, 90% of respondents reported poor application performance was negatively affecting their business.

"We've redesigned and rethought our infrastructure and management approach, all within the context of performance management as a whole," Hille said.

A new app, SteelCentral AppResponse 11, blends the capabilities of Riverbed's existing AppResponse and NetShark products, providing a mix of network forensics and analytics.

SteelCentral NetIM, meantime, monitors infrastructure performance. The app replaces two other Riverbed software products: SteelCentral NetCollector and NetSensor.

Aerohive beefs up Wi-Fi security

Aerohive Networks said it's boosted the capabilities of its software-defined, Private Pre-Shared Key (PPSK) app to focus on protecting its Wi-Fi products from internet of things (IoT) attacks.

The vendor, based in Milpitas, Calif., said the key's new capabilities will provide each IoT device with a unique password, regardless of whether or not the device supports 802.1x protocols. Aerohive said tens of thousands of IoT devices on a single service set identifier can be managed and distributed via the cloud, mobile applications or self-registration.

An associated deep packet inspection firewall lets users isolate IoT devices as needed. It can also throttle the bandwidth of IoT applications and detect and block distributed denial-of-service floods, Aerohive said.

Aerohive introduced PPSK in 2009 as an alternative to Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, a widely used wireless LAN security spec.

Gigamon intros security appliance for SMBs

Gigamon Inc. released a version of its network traffic visibility and security appliance for small enterprises and companies with remote sites.

GigaVue-HC1, available later this year, is a modular, 1 RU device with 12 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) interfaces and four 1 GbE interfaces. It's based on the company's existing security software, which provides companies with an early warning system designed to protect enterprises from security vulnerabilities or attacks.

Extending that visibility to remote locations means companies can eliminate redundant security and network management tools, according to the company, based in Santa Clara, Calif. It also provides them with a centralized console through which they can manage security policies throughout their distributed environments.

Check Point cites rise in mobile attacks in 2017 predictions

Mobile hacking by organized crime, coupled with a spike in ransomware attacks on enterprises and cloud-based data centers, are expected to be among the greatest cybersecurity risks in 2017, according to Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.

The vendor's annual Cyber Security Predictions report predicts enterprises will face substantial risks to their critical infrastructure and internet of things deployments, particularly in operational technology and SCADA environments.

According to Darrell Burkey, director of IPS and product manager at Check Point, based in San Carlos, Calif., "commoditization and integration of threat intelligence" will be among cybersecurity's most important trends in 2017. That will be coupled with a move by enterprises to share threat information with partners to understand "the broader attack story" more quickly.

In Check Point's view, this pattern of automation and consolidation benefits enterprises by making attacks easier to understand and diagnose.

Burkey added that businesses are increasingly working to counter threats with unified security deployments and are moving away from a model where they buy firewalls, antivirus software and other systems from multiple vendors.

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